Apparatus for pumping deep wells



Feb. 23 1926. 1,574,081

l.. G. GATES APPARATUS FOR 'PUMPING DEEP WELLS Filed Feb. 25, 1925 19 IBM`-M ATTORNEYS Patented Peb. 23, i926..

U 't' `f1 a trai .lIIIElIROlF G. GATES, @El BAKERSFIELID, CALIIFORNI,ASSIGNOR T0 STANDARID @lili @0M- lPANY, 0F SAN FRANCISCO, C ALIFORNA, ACORPORATION @E @H'iila APPARATUS Fon PUMPING naar wams Application tiedFebruary 25., 1925. Serial No. 11,4%.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that ll, Lnnor vGr. GATES, a citizen of the United Stateresiding at Bakersfield, in the county of l ern and State of California,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus forPumping Deep `Wells, of which the following isa specification. v

My invention relates to an apparatus for pumping deep wells and isparticularly adapted for pumping wells-in which considerable gas ispresent.

The principal objectot my invention is to provide a well pumpingapparatus in' which the pump and also its driving means, it the latterbe associated with. the pump in the well, can be pulled to the surfacefor cleaning or repairing Without losing the entire colmnn of pumpediluid which stands above the pump, and without .thel necessity ofpulling the stri-ng of tubing which conducts the pumped tluid to thesurface.

A further object ot my invention is to provide means for the escape ofthe gases produced in the Well, in order to prevent said gases frompassing through the pump and interfering with its action. Suchconditions are commonly met with in oil wells, and, therefore, myinvention is adapted for such use.- The separation of the gas and theyoil is accomplished by providing a tubing string within the well casingfor conducting the pumpedoil to the surface, the gas being ,free to'escape through the well outside of said tubing. The oil discharge tubingstring remains permanently in the well, and' is preferably ot a diametersmaller than that ot the well casing, but large enough to permit thepumping member to be low-ered to its operative position through saidtubing. A .separable connection is provided between the pump and thelower end ot the discharge tubing string, to permit said pump to epulled when necessary without disturbing said tubing, and suitable meansare provided to retain the column oi? pumped oil within the dischargetubing when the pump is pulled out, so that said column ot oil is notlost back int-o the well.

As an alternative construction, the discharge ,n tubing string may be ofsmaller diametei` and the pump may be lowered beside -instead of insideot said tuning. 'As in the previously mentioned form of construction,the pump is separably connected with the lower end of the dischargetubing string, to permit it to be pulled independently of said` tubing,and means are provided for retaining the column ot pumped oil `in thedischarge tubing when the pump is pulled. n f

It will be readily understood that, by the above outlined construction,the pump, whether lowered inside or outside the discharge tubing string,can be pulled at any time for cleaning or repair without removing saidtubing string, which remains permanently'in the well. saving in time andlabor over the usual practise of pulling and replacing the entire Thisedects a great f string of tubing whenever the pump must be repaired orcleaned. The provision for retaining the column of pumped oil in thetubing string when the pump is pulled also effects a considerable savingottime, especially when the large diameter tubing is used and the pumplowered therethrough,

for in such cases the amount of oil contained in said tubing isconsiderable, and, it it were lost back into' the well when the pump ispulled, would necessitate running the pump for several days, in deepwells, before the column of umped oil reached the surface and productionstarted. The use ot the tubing string, moreover, prevents trouble fromgas byl permitting such gas to ing without interfering with the actionot the pump.

A still further object of my invention is to provide means for suitablysupporting the tubing string, with its column ot pumped oil, and thepump itself, within the well. In comparatively shallow wells the entireweight may ybeI suspended by the tubing string alone, or part ot theweight may be supported by Athe usual slips having 'frictionalengagementwith the casing, but in deep Wells, and especially when thelarge diameter tubing is used, the great weight of such tubing and thecolumn of pumped oil' would necessitate additional supporting means, andin such cases l provide a supporting column or foot extending from thelower end ot' the tubing to, and resting upon, the bottom of the well.Ubviously, either -the slips, or the supporting foot, or both, may beused, and in the latter case l provide means, fully described'hereinafter for distributing the weight between the slips and thesupporting foot, so that each will bear its proper share."

escape between said tubing and the well casllt) The pumping member of myapparatus may be of any desired type, and may be operated either by theusual sucker rods from the surface, or may be driven by a suitable motorassociated with the pump and lowered with it into the well by a cableor- It is to be understood moreover, that the tubing string 2 b form andconstruction, of the apparatus herein shown and described may be varied,4within the limits of the claims hereto appended, without departing fromthe spirit of the invention as set forth in said claims.

With this in View, my invention will now be fully described withreference to the accompanyingy drawings, wherein- Fig. 1 is a brokenlongitudinal section of one form of my well pumping apparatus inoperative position in a well, the pump ing member thereof being shownpartially in y elevation.

Fig. 2 is a similar view of a slightly different form of supportingmeans, the pumping member being lremoved therefrom.

Fi 3 is a broken longitudinal section of a mo ified form of apparatusembodying my invention.

Fig. 4 is a similar view of the fluid supporting member shown in Fig. 3,the pumpmg member being `removed therefrom, and a slightly differentweight supporting member being associated therewith.

. In the drawings, the reference numeral 1 designates the casing of awell. A string of tubing 2 which, in the form of constructionillustrated in Fig. 1, is of only slightly smaller diameter than thewell casing 1, is lowered into the well until its lower end ex- .tendsinto the oil. Secured to the lower end of the tubing string 2 is amember 3 which vhas a preferably central passage 4 extendingtherethroughe A check valve 5 is provi ed in said passage.

The reference numeral 6 designates a pump body adapted to be loweredinto the any suitable means as, for example, a ca le 7. The pump body 6may be of any desiredI construction, but for purposes of illustration Ihavel shown a barrel 8. in which a plunger 9 o erates. Suction anddischarge valves 10 an 11 respectively are provided, the latter beingcarried in said plunger. The pumped oil asses up through the plunger 9and a suitably disposed passage, indicated at 12, and is discharged intothe tubing string 2 through a port 13. The plunger 9 is understood to beoperated b any suitable mechanism carrled within t e pump body 6, but assuch mechanism forms no part of the present inyention, it has beenomitted from the drawlngs.

The lower end of the pump body 6 is provided with a tubular extension 14formin a suction intake to the barrel 8. Saidtu ular extension isadapted to fit into the passage 4 of the member 3, and suitable packing15 is provided in said assage to make a tight joint with said tubu arextension 14. A downwardly extending finger 16 is referably providedupon the lower end o the tubular extension 14 for the purpose of movingthe check valve 5 ofi' its seat when the pump body 6 is in its operativeposition, as shown in Fig. 1.

It will readily be seen that when the pump body 6 is in the positionshown in Fig. 1, the oil is drawn up into the barrel 8 through thepassage 4 of the member 3 and through the tubular extension 14. However,when the pump body 6 is pulled out of the well for cleaning or repair,the check valve 5, freed by the finger 16, is allowed to seat, as shownin Fig. 2, thereby retaining the entire column of pumped oil within thetubing string 2 and preventing it from flowing back into the well. 1 p

The tubular extension 14` is preferably made relatively small indiameter, so as toy leave the bottom surface 6, Fig. 1, of the pump body6 as large as possible. This bottom surface 6a is, of course, exposed tothe pressure of the pumped fluid within the tubing string 2, and suchpressure, acting upwardly, against said bottom surface 6.",

tends to assist the cable 7 in initially break-p.

ing said body away from the tubing bottom member 3, thereby preventingundue strain on said cable.. For the same reason, the tubing bottommember 3 is provided upon its upper end with relatively narrow lugs 3upon which the bottom 6 of the pump body 6 rests, so that the fluidpressure may be exerted upwardly against said bottom'. Obviously, if thepump body 6 were set tight upon the member 3, the fluid pressure uponthe upper end of said body would be so great, in deep wells, as tonecessitate a much heavier cable to initially separate said body fromthe member 3, thanl would be required to lift said body after suchseparation.

In deep wells the weight of the vtubing string 2 and the column of oiltherewithin may render it necessary to support said tub* ing string 2 insome manner other than b suspension from the surface, and in suci casesI may employ a supporting foot 17. which preferably consists of aperforated tube, and which may be secured, as indi- Fig. 3 of thedrawings, the discharge tubing' (immay also'be partially supported bytheusual toothed slips 2.0, as shown in Fig. 2, which are forcedoutwardly into engagement with the casing 1 by riding up on iiiclinedsurfaces 21. If it is advisable'to employ both the slips 20 andthesupporting foot 17, I prefer to use theconstructlon shown in Fig. 2. Inthis constructlon, the foot 17 is movably associated with the tubingbottom member 3 by means of the s1iding connection shown at 22, andaheavy buffer spring 23 is interposed between a shoulder 24 formed uponsaid foot and the member 3. A lighter spring 25 is interposed betweensaid shoulder and the slips 20, as shown. When, in lowering theapparatus into the Well, the foot 17 reaches the well bottom and comesto rest, the heavy spring 23 is compressed by the further downward 1movement of the member 3, and during such further movement, the 'lighterspring 25 sets the slips 20 against the casing by moving them upwardlyupon their incllncd surfaces 21. By properly proportioning the vsprin s23 and 25, the setting of the slips` may e timed to occur when the foot17, acting through the buffer spring 23,'has taken up its pre-determinedproportlon of the load. By this means, the entire weight may be properlydistributed between the slips 20 and the foot 17. The buifer sprmg 23also automatically takes care of any expansion or contraction of theparts, or'any settling of the foot 17. Obviously, the resilient orbuffer spring connection between the tubing bottom member 3 and thefootv 17 may be used without the slips 20, in lace. .of the rigidconstruction shownin `i0. 1,

In the form of. construction shown in string is indicated -by thenumeral 2', and is of smaller diameter than that `described above. Saidtubing string 2, however, is secured at its lower end to a bottom member3', which constitutes a connection between said tubing string and thepump body 6. passage 4 extends vertically through the member 3', but inthis form of the apparatus the check valve 5 for retaining the oilcolumn in the discharge tubing string 2 is positioned as shown in apassage 5" connecting'the lower end of said tubing string 2 with anannular channel 4 formed in the wall of the vertical passage 4. The pumpbody 6 may be supported in any desired manner, not shown.

The pump itself may be constructed in any suitable manner, having bothits intake and its discharge at the bottom. For

example, I have shown a barrel 8 in which operates a plunger 9' andwhich has inlet and discharge valves 10 and 11 respectively. The oildischarged through the valve 1 1 passes intoA a chamber 12- surroundingthe barrel 8 'and communicating with a port 13 adapted to register withthe annular channel 4 in the member 3."'A downward extension 14 of thepump body 6l is adapted to lit into the passage 4 of the member 3 andsaid passage is preferably provided with suitable packing 15' to make atight joint with said extension 14. The outlet port 13 is formed in thisextension as shown, as is also an intake passage 10 leading to the inletvalve 10.

'Ihe member 3 may be supported in the well by any suitable means inaddition to being suspended by the discharge tubing string 2. Toindicate any such supporting .means I have shown toothed slips 20', Fig.3, which are understood to engage the casing 1 in a manner similar tothat described above, and which ma be operated by any suitable means notsiown. If desired, a supporting foot 17 as shown in Fig. 4:, may besecured, as at 13' to the member 3', said supporting foot having a lowerend 19 adapted to rest upon the well bottom.

The operation 0f the form of apparatus illustrated in Fig. 3 isessentially similar to that of the form shown in Fig. l. The tubingstring 2 and the member 3 are positioned in .the well initially and thepump body 6 associated therewith. The operation of the pump ycauses theoil to be drawn up through .the passages 4 and 10 into the barrel 8',and to be discharged through the chamber 12', the port 13', the annular4channel 4 and the passage 5 into the tubing string 2. The pump body 6may be separated from thev member 3 to enable said pump body to bepulled to the surface for cleaning or repair, in which case the checkvalve 5 retains the column of pumped oil in the tubing string 2 toprevent it from flowing back into the well.

It will be seen that in both forms of the apparatus described above,the. well casing is not packed off, so that there is l`a free `escapefor the natural gases of the well to xcomprising a tubing stringpositioned within a Well and adapted to conduct-'the pumped oil to thesurface, a'member connected with the lower end of said tubing string andhaving a substantially vertically disposed passage therethrough,supporting means carried by said member for releasably gripping vtheWell casing, a pump separably associated with said member and adapted todraw the oil through said passage and to discharge it into said tubingstring, and a valve carried by said member for supporting the column otpumped oii within saidtubing string Iijvhen the pump is separated fromsaid memer. i

2. An apparatus for pumping oii wells, comprising a :tubing stringadapted to be positioned within the well to convey the pumped oil to thesurface, a pump lowerable within said tubing string and separablyassociated with the lower end thereof, said pump being adapted todischarge the oil into said tubing string, a vaive in the lower end otlsaid tubing string for retaining the column of pumped oil within saidtubing stringwhen lthe pump is separated therefrom, and means forholding said valve open when the pump is in operative position.

3. An apparatus for pumping oil wells, comprising a tubing stringadapted to be positioned within a Well to conduct the pumped oil tothesurface, a plug member f secured within said tubing string, said plugmember having a substantially vertically disposed passage therethrough,spaced lugs rising from the upper end surface of said plug member, a umplowerable within said tubingstring an adapted to rest upon said lugs, atubular extension' upon said itting within said passage, said pump ein'gadapted to draivthe oil through said passage and to discharge it intosaid tubing string, and a valve carried by said plug member forretaining the column of pumped voil within said tubing string when thepump is separated from said yplug member.

4. An apparatus for pumping oil wells con'iprising a tubing stringpositioned within the Vwell and Vadapted to conduct the pumped oil tothe'surface', a supporting member resiliently connected `with the lowerend of said. tubing string and extending therefrom to the bottom of thewell, a pump scparably associated ,with the lower end of n said tubingstring and adapted to discharge the oil thereintu, and means forsupporting the column of oil within said tubing string when the pump is.separated therefrom.

5. An apparatus for pumping oil wells comprising a tubing stringpositioned within ump charge the oil thereinto, and means for supportingthe column ot' pumped oil within said tubing string whenthe pump isseparated therefrom.

6. An apparatus for pumping oil wells comprising a tubing stringpositioned within the Well and adapted to conduct the pumped oil to thesurface, 'means associated with said tubing string or 'gripping thb wellcasing, means for operating said gripping means from the surface, apumpseparably associated with the. lower end of said tubing string andadapted to discharge the oil thereinto, and means for supporting thecolumn of pumped oil Within said tubing string when the pump isseparated therefrom.

7. An apparatus for pumping oil wells comprising a tubing stringpositioned Within the wel] and adapted to conduct the pumped oil to thesurface, means associated with said tubing string for gripping the Wellcasing, a support movably associated with Vsaid tubing string andextending therefrom to the bottom of the well, means actuated by therelative movement between said tubing string and said support foroperating said gripping means, a pump separably associated with thelower end o't' said tubing string and adapted lto discharge the oilthereinto, and means for supporting the eolwhen the pump is separatedtherefrom.

S. An apparatus forpumping oil Welis comprising a tubing stringpositionedwithiu the well and adapted to conduct the pumped oi.I to thesurface, means associated with said tubing string for gripping the Wellcasing,

a support' movably associated with sai-d 'tubing string and extendingtherefrom to the bottom of the Well, a resilient "weightsupportingconnection between said tubing lstring and said support, means actuatedby the relative movement between said tubing string and said support foroperating said gripping means, a pump separably associated with thelower end of said tubing string and adapted to discharge the oiltheremto, and means for supporting the column of pumped oil within saidtubing string when the pump is separated therefrom.

In testimony` whereot` I have signed -my name to this specification. i

LEROY G. GATES.

